Ethan in Cleveland Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 While looking up draft classes, I stumbled upon some Bills history I did not know. How many knew in 1964 the Bills drafted both Carl Eller and Paul Warfield? Neither would sign with the Bills. Eller was drafted by Minnesota and Warfield by Cleveland and both chose NFL over AFL. Both of course would go on to be inducted into HOF. Eller is a top 20 DE of all time. I had no idea both these players could have been Bills. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 I didn't remember they were in the same draft, but I knew both had been drafted. Warfield was world-class receiver. He might have been Jerry Rice 15 years too early. (Just like Bob McAdoo may have been Kevin Durant too early.) Eller was superb. The battles to sign those guys were unbelievable. The Bills didn't lose just those two, they also lost Ernie Davis. The Chiefs stashed Otis Taylor in a motel room somewhere to keep some NFL team from getting to him. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranded in Boston Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 6 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: I didn't remember they were in the same draft, but I knew both had been drafted. Warfield was world-class receiver. He might have been Jerry Rice 15 years too early. (Just like Bob McAdoo may have been Kevin Durant too early.) Eller was superb. LOL Shaw, one of my boys is a big NBA fan, and I’ve been telling him for years that I’d put 1970s Big Mac up against KD any day of the week. Naturally he doubts his old man, but I’ll show him your post … 😎 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 19 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: Just like Bob McAdoo may have been Kevin Durant too early. Amen, brother. 2 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 3 minutes ago, Stranded in Boston said: LOL Shaw, one of my boys is a big NBA fan, and I’ve been telling him for years that I’d put 1970s Big Mac up against KD any day of the week. Naturally he doubts his old man, but I’ll show him your post … 😎 I wasn't in Buffalo and wasn't much of a Braves fan, but my brother kept telling me about McAdoo. Finally, on a visit to Buffalo, I went to a game, and I was amazed at this unique talent who simply didn't fit into the game at all. He was a the modern big power forward, a KD or a KG. Ramsay did what he could, but McAdoo just didn't fit. If people think about Iverson, how undisciplined he seemed, how brilliant but somehow not quite right for the game, it was the same thing. Iverson would be a top-5 star today, and McAdoo too. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 The problem for McAdoo was that he was playing center, against the more-massive traditional centers of the day. As a power forward today, McAdoo would indeed have been Durant-like in his production. He was a great shooter and a good defender. As for the OP, it's a shame the Bills lost out on those two players. Bringing them into the fold would have gone a long way to helping keep the 60s good times rolling, instead of having too many players get old at once. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralonzo Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 (edited) Wasn’t Warfield a running back that got converted to WR in the pros? Edited August 6, 2022 by Ralonzo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Buffalo Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 5 minutes ago, Ralonzo said: Wasn’t Warfield a running back that got converted to WR in the pros? Actually think he was a QB. Didnt want to be a WR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Ethan in Portland said: While looking up draft classes, I stumbled upon some Bills history I did not know. How many knew in 1964 the Bills drafted both Carl Eller and Paul Warfield? Neither would sign with the Bills. Eller was drafted by Minnesota and Warfield by Cleveland and both chose NFL over AFL. Both of course would go on to be inducted into HOF. Eller is a top 20 DE of all time. I had no idea both these players could have been Bills. I think you’d be very surprised how many people here know this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdermott Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Stranded in Boston said: LOL Shaw, one of my boys is a big NBA fan, and I’ve been telling him for years that I’d put 1970s Big Mac up against KD any day of the week. Naturally he doubts his old man, but I’ll show him your post … 😎 That whole team was ahead of its time. Before Ernie D got hurt they were showtime before the Lakers. A couple years later, for 48 hours they had McAdoo, Moses Malone, Randy Smith and Adrian Dantley. If management had stayed out of their own way, an NBA championship could have been in the picture. 2 3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan in Cleveland Posted August 6, 2022 Author Share Posted August 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Ralonzo said: Wasn’t Warfield a running back that got converted to WR in the pros? That is what Wiki said. Ohio State Buckeye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 9 minutes ago, Mcdermott said: That whole team was ahead of its time. Before Ernie D got hurt they were showtime before the Lakers. A couple years later, for 48 hours they had McAdoo, Moses Malone, Randy Smith and Adrian Dantley. If management had stayed out of their own way, an NBA championship could have been in the picture. Ernie D didn’t get hurt, he contracte leukemia. Really sad story with his childhood. What he accomplished in college, it’s no surprise they made a movie about him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albany,n.y. Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 2 hours ago, Shaw66 said: I didn't remember they were in the same draft, but I knew both had been drafted. Warfield was world-class receiver. He might have been Jerry Rice 15 years too early. (Just like Bob McAdoo may have been Kevin Durant too early.) Eller was superb. The battles to sign those guys were unbelievable. The Bills didn't lose just those two, they also lost Ernie Davis. The Chiefs stashed Otis Taylor in a motel room somewhere to keep some NFL team from getting to him. Speaking of Bob McAdoo, before the NBA draft McAdoo had signed with the ABA's Virginia Squires. Here's a story that I wrote years ago that is published on the Remember The ABA website. "The only ABA vs. NBA exhibition game I ever saw was the Virginia Squires vs. Buffalo Braves game played in Buffalo on September 22, 1972. The game itself really isn't the story so much as the reason why the game was played. The story began the day of the 1972 NBA draft. On that day I opened the Buffalo News, and the sports page headline read "Braves' Dilemma - McAdoo or McAdon't." The story mentioned that even though the Braves knew that Bob McAdoo had already signed a contract with the ABA Virginia Squires, the Braves believed that they could draft McAdoo, find a loophole in his Squires contract, and sign him. Obviously, that's exactly what happened. This story is similar to the events that happened a year earlier when Howard Porter signed with the Pittsburgh Condors, yet never played for the Condors. Instead, Porter was "traded" to the Chicago Bulls after he had signed contracts with both teams. As far as I know, Paul Ruffner (the player sent by the Bulls to the Condors) was the only player ever to be willingly sent to a team in the rival league -- as compensation for the right to keep another player. That made Ruffner the only player to be "traded" from the NBA to the ABA. The McAdoo case was different in that no player was sent by the Braves to the Squires. However, there was a settlement between the two teams that permitted McAdoo to join the Braves. As part of that settlement, the Braves and Squires agreed to play home-and-home exhibition games against each other before the 1972-73 regular season began. The final twist in this story occurred one year later. More than a year after the demise of the Pittsburgh Condors an ex-Condor player signed with the Braves, and made the team -- his name was Paul Ruffner." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdermott Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 38 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said: Ernie D didn’t get hurt, he contracte leukemia. Really sad story with his childhood. What he accomplished in college, it’s no surprise they made a movie about him. No, I think you are talking about Ernie Davis. I’m talking about Ernie D from the Braves 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie's Dead Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 41 minutes ago, Mcdermott said: That whole team was ahead of its time. Before Ernie D got hurt they were showtime before the Lakers. A couple years later, for 48 hours they had McAdoo, Moses Malone, Randy Smith and Adrian Dantley. If management had stayed out of their own way, an NBA championship could have been in the picture. Don't get me started man. The Buffalo Braves were on the cusp of greatness. But Canisius owned the Aud, John Y Brown decided he couldn't make any money here, so he pulled up stakes. I curse the LA Clippers, and hope they never win an NBA title. Unless, of course, the NBA decides to make it right and come back, then I'm all-in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdermott Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 1 hour ago, Albany,n.y. said: Speaking of Bob McAdoo, before the NBA draft McAdoo had signed with the ABA's Virginia Squires. Here's a story that I wrote years ago that is published on the Remember The ABA website. "The only ABA vs. NBA exhibition game I ever saw was the Virginia Squires vs. Buffalo Braves game played in Buffalo on September 22, 1972. The game itself really isn't the story so much as the reason why the game was played. The story began the day of the 1972 NBA draft. On that day I opened the Buffalo News, and the sports page headline read "Braves' Dilemma - McAdoo or McAdon't." The story mentioned that even though the Braves knew that Bob McAdoo had already signed a contract with the ABA Virginia Squires, the Braves believed that they could draft McAdoo, find a loophole in his Squires contract, and sign him. Obviously, that's exactly what happened. This story is similar to the events that happened a year earlier when Howard Porter signed with the Pittsburgh Condors, yet never played for the Condors. Instead, Porter was "traded" to the Chicago Bulls after he had signed contracts with both teams. As far as I know, Paul Ruffner (the player sent by the Bulls to the Condors) was the only player ever to be willingly sent to a team in the rival league -- as compensation for the right to keep another player. That made Ruffner the only player to be "traded" from the NBA to the ABA. The McAdoo case was different in that no player was sent by the Braves to the Squires. However, there was a settlement between the two teams that permitted McAdoo to join the Braves. As part of that settlement, the Braves and Squires agreed to play home-and-home exhibition games against each other before the 1972-73 regular season began. The final twist in this story occurred one year later. More than a year after the demise of the Pittsburgh Condors an ex-Condor player signed with the Braves, and made the team -- his name was Paul Ruffner." If memory serves, the reason the Braves were able to void McAdoo’s Virginia contract was due to McAdoo being not if legal age to sign the contract in Virginia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElMarko Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 2 hours ago, Mcdermott said: That whole team was ahead of its time. Before Ernie D got hurt they were showtime before the Lakers. A couple years later, for 48 hours they had McAdoo, Moses Malone, Randy Smith and Adrian Dantley. If management had stayed out of their own way, an NBA championship could have been in the picture. And Nate Archibald. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 4 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said: While looking up draft classes, I stumbled upon some Bills history I did not know. How many knew in 1964 the Bills drafted both Carl Eller and Paul Warfield? Neither would sign with the Bills. Eller was drafted by Minnesota and Warfield by Cleveland and both chose NFL over AFL. Both of course would go on to be inducted into HOF. Eller is a top 20 DE of all time. I had no idea both these players could have been Bills. Even back then, the rumor was decades old that Ralph was cheap. I think Keith Richards might have started that rumor, and then the universe. I kid, a couple of all-time great names there. I remember watching Butch Byrd covering Warfield at the Rockpile. It was 24 vs 42 I believe? Wow, that seems like another lifetime. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcdermott Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 24 minutes ago, ElMarko said: And Nate Archibald. Archibald was already on the downside of his career and injured himself again in the preseason and never played a game for the Braves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan in Cleveland Posted August 7, 2022 Author Share Posted August 7, 2022 4 hours ago, Chandler#81 said: I think you’d be very surprised how many people here know this. I was born in 1970. I dont have much memory of the 1970's teams. My first real football memories are from the 1980 season. I was 10 so I didn't follow the off the field stuff for a while. My earliest memories of that kind of stuff was Tom Cousineau not signing with the Bills ( though I probably only learned about it when the trade in 1983 with Cleveland went down), Gary Anderson not making the team, and Cribbs leaving for the USFL - he and Butler were my favorite players then. I know some of the major highlights pre-1980 but somehow missed out on these future stars almost being Bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chongli Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said: While looking up draft classes, I stumbled upon some Bills history I did not know. How many knew in 1964 the Bills drafted both Carl Eller and Paul Warfield? Neither would sign with the Bills. Eller was drafted by Minnesota and Warfield by Cleveland and both chose NFL over AFL. Eller played 16 years in the NFL from 1964-1979. 15 with Minnesota and one with Seattle. Zero league championships. He could have been a world champion twice had he signed with Buffalo. Tsk, tsk. Edited August 7, 2022 by chongli 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 Just imagine him with that mid-60’s Defense! Obviously, he’d replace Tom Day, but then add Jim Dunaway (with his wife), Ron McDole and Tom Sestak?? 😲 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwater10 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 12 hours ago, Shaw66 said: Bob McAdoo may have been Kevin Durant too early I love this! Never connected those dots on my own before, but absolutely on the money! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris heff Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 13 hours ago, machine gun kelly said: Ernie D didn’t get hurt, he contracte leukemia. Really sad story with his childhood. What he accomplished in college, it’s no surprise they made a movie about him. This has nothing to do with anything, but I was at a Jefferson Airplane concert at SU when some idiot stole Ernie Davis’s Heisman Trophy. It was on display at Manley Field House. It was later returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stranded in Boston Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 15 hours ago, Shaw66 said: I wasn't in Buffalo and wasn't much of a Braves fan, but my brother kept telling me about McAdoo. Finally, on a visit to Buffalo, I went to a game, and I was amazed at this unique talent who simply didn't fit into the game at all. He was a the modern big power forward, a KD or a KG. Ramsay did what he could, but McAdoo just didn't fit. If people think about Iverson, how undisciplined he seemed, how brilliant but somehow not quite right for the game, it was the same thing. Iverson would be a top-5 star today, and McAdoo too. Yup, McAdoo was before his time, but there was one thing he could do way better than Durant - rebound. I think he averaged 15+ /game along with 30+ points in ‘74, his MVP season. The guy was relentless on the boards; so fun to watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwater10 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 14 hours ago, machine gun kelly said: Ernie D didn’t get hurt, he contracte leukemia. Really sad story with his childhood. What he accomplished in college, it’s no surprise they made a movie about him. Actually, if it hasn't already been noted, Ernie suffered a severe knee injury in his second year in Buffalo which destroyed his effectiveness. Not sure when the leukemia came into play, but I do believe that was farther down the road. "DiGregorio only played 31 games in the 1974-75 season because of severe knee injuries, a 50 game drop from his 1973-74 campaign. Despite this, Bob McAdoo won the MVP while averaging 34.5 PPG and 14.1 REB. The Braves' record jumped up seven wins from their previous season, and they made the playoffs again. However, they were bounced in the first round. Ernie's numbers dropped across the board in this season, with his PPG being nearly cut in half to 7.8 and his assist numbers falling to 4.9 per game. In the next season, his numbers stayed around the same, except for the fact that Ernie managed to play 67 games in that season. Then in the 1976-77 season, he played 81 games and reclaimed his free throw title, making 94.5% of his shots at the charity stripe that year. But still, his other stats were lackluster when compared to his rookie numbers. His PPG was at 10.7 in this '77 season, with his assists being just as average at a 4.7 mark." https://aminoapps.com/c/nba/page/blog/ernie-digregorio-the-unknown-what-if-of-the-1970s/j064_1QQcKu8lrJoaK76bkpe8aoMWbLY5rb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 8 minutes ago, cwater10 said: Actually, if it hasn't already been noted, Ernie suffered a severe knee injury in his second year in Buffalo which destroyed his effectiveness. Not sure when the leukemia came into play, but I do believe that was farther down the road. "DiGregorio only played 31 games in the 1974-75 season because of severe knee injuries, a 50 game drop from his 1973-74 campaign. Despite this, Bob McAdoo won the MVP while averaging 34.5 PPG and 14.1 REB. The Braves' record jumped up seven wins from their previous season, and they made the playoffs again. However, they were bounced in the first round. Ernie's numbers dropped across the board in this season, with his PPG being nearly cut in half to 7.8 and his assist numbers falling to 4.9 per game. In the next season, his numbers stayed around the same, except for the fact that Ernie managed to play 67 games in that season. Then in the 1976-77 season, he played 81 games and reclaimed his free throw title, making 94.5% of his shots at the charity stripe that year. But still, his other stats were lackluster when compared to his rookie numbers. His PPG was at 10.7 in this '77 season, with his assists being just as average at a 4.7 mark." https://aminoapps.com/c/nba/page/blog/ernie-digregorio-the-unknown-what-if-of-the-1970s/j064_1QQcKu8lrJoaK76bkpe8aoMWbLY5rb This was my mistake as I thought the other poster was referring to Ernie Davis, not Ernie D. Davis had leukemia which is why he never played for the Browns in the early 60’s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw66 Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 16 hours ago, Ralonzo said: Wasn’t Warfield a running back that got converted to WR in the pros? He started playing receiver his senior year in college, when he had about 60 carries and about 20 receptions. When he was drafted, everyone knew he was a receiver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElMarko Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 On 8/6/2022 at 10:30 PM, Mcdermott said: Archibald was already on the downside of his career and injured himself again in the preseason and never played a game for the Braves. Still on the team tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted August 23, 2022 Share Posted August 23, 2022 On 8/6/2022 at 9:15 PM, Freddie's Dead said: Don't get me started man. The Buffalo Braves were on the cusp of greatness. But Canisius owned the Aud, John Y Brown decided he couldn't make any money here, so he pulled up stakes. I curse the LA Clippers, and hope they never win an NBA title. Unless, of course, the NBA decides to make it right and come back, then I'm all-in. we are NBA orphans. I was conflicted, do I cheer for Clippers? I did for a bit, and felt dirty. So I started liking the Supersonics. I got back into watching basktball for awhile, then the Sonics moved to OKC. I was born in Oklahoma City, So I guess Im a OKC fan. NFL Champions League NHL MLB Basketball ^thats my rankings of leagues 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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